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“I do not know what concerns Rool has,” grumbles Alwar, “but I for one have heard nothing of threats, nothing of discontent among the various kingdoms over the change of leadership.”
“So there’s nothing to worry about?”
“Wrong,” he replies. “This is Monsterland. We do not live peacefully.”
“So if you’re not hearing rumbles of impending backstabbings or uprisings—”
“It signifies something is brewing.”
Crap.“What do you think this something is?”
“Anything is possible, but if I had to guess, Benicio’s death has become an opportunity to forge new alliances with those who have common interests. It is why the inaugural address isso critical. You must set the tone—any challenges to your throne will not be tolerated. They must fear your power, or the wall will fall.”
This is exactly what I was afraid of. There’ll always be creatures and kingdoms interested in tearing down the wall. They believe the weak are for eating. Humans especially.
“Alwar, how were the bridges made?” I ask.
“I do not know.”
“But they couldn’t have been there since the beginning of time.”
“The stories say that before the wall was built, there were only a handful of creatures who knew about the doorways and crossed over freely to hunt. Then one day, word got out, and your world was overrun. Humans started fighting back and pushed them out. Any creatures that remained were killed.”
I still wonder how humans managed to expel the monsters. Tiago once told me it was the fact that people refused to give up. As a species, our tenacity defines us. True. Humans haven’t survived this long because wecompliedour way to survival. It’s why dictators, tyrants, oppressive governments, and anyone who tries to take away our freedoms don’t last. Eventually, we rise up. Still, I can’t see how tenacity was enough to eradicate all monster life from my world. Especially considering this event supposedly happened thousands of years ago. What weapons did they use?
Alwar continues, “The Scholar People’s records say that humans attempted to seal the doorway with rocks and mud—a primitive form of plaster. It did not work, so they built a great fire to prevent any creatures from coming through. Then, one day, another doorway opened, then another. Humans kept building fires to make the doorways impassable. Over time, the smoke blocked our skies and turned them red.”
“The entire planet? You’d have to chop down every tree in Pennsylvania to make that much smoke.” Then you’d need to keep finding more wood. Sounds a little farfetched, but then again, these are old stories.
“The smoke was only part of the issue. The sparks from the bonfires would float high in our atmosphere and drop. We were plagued with forest and brush fires. Then our sea ignited. The creatures who once lived there were very gaseous.”
An ocean filled with farts. How lovely. Must be why Monsterland still smells like sulfur.
He goes on, “It was called the Age of Fire. It lasted thousands of years. They say it became so hot that it stopped raining. Only the plants and trees that could absorb moisture from the air survived and flourished. Same for the creatures.”
So it was the humans who caused Monsterland to look like this. No wonder they want to eat us.
“Do you think maybe this is the real reason the War People agreed to help with the wall? To stop the humans from making all those fires?”
“No. The wall was an opportunity for my people to live more securely. The War People were constantly fending off attacks from other kingdoms. Our meat and blood is prized by many.”
I can attest to that.Giants. Hmmm…tasty. “Well, it’s pretty crappy that your world was trashed.”
“Humans did what they needed to survive and keep the monsters out. I do not blame them for wishing to defend themselves.”
“I’m just saying that it would have been better for everyone if they’d found another way to survive and live in peace.”
“The kingdoms here do not want peace.”
Exactly my problem.I don’t want to tip my hand, so I think carefully before posing my next question. “I have to wonder,though, who created the doorway to begin with. Both worlds would have been better off if they’d never mingled.”
“Who’s to say it wasn’t a natural occurrence? Or perhaps the gods created them.”
So he has no clue. I make a note to ask the Scholar People if there are any records. There has to be a way to close those doorways permanently. “So how does the wall work exactly? How does it keep our worlds separate?”
“Why so many questions today?”
“I’m the ruler now. Shouldn’t I know everything about Monsterland?”
